This is a list of established military terms which have been in use for at least 50 years. Technology has changed so not all of them are in current use, or they may have been superseded by more modern ones. However they are still in current use in articles about previous military periods. Some of them like camouflet have been adapted to describe modern versions of old techniques.

• forcing a safe-guard (1770–1785 period) –

Safe-guard, in military affairs, a protection granted by a prince or
general, for some of the enemy's lands, houses, persons, &c. to preserve them from being insulted or plundered.

safe-guards were individual soldiers or detachments placed to prevent places (often farms full of crops and livestock) from being plundered. Forcing a safe-guard was the crime of overpowering a safe-guard. Safe-guards were often individual soldiers assigned to watch over an entire farm, so it only took a few marauders to "force" him.

• forcing a safeguard (current) – Forcing a safeguard. "Forcing a safeguard" means to perform an act or acts in violation of the protection of the safeguard.

Administrative

• Cantonment
  Cantonment
  A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
  
  , a temporary or semi-permanent military quarters. In the Southern Asia the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations.
• Logistics
  Military logistics
  Military logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with:...
  
  
• Materiel
  Materiel
  Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
  
   (also Matériel)
• Military supply chain management
  Military Supply Chain Management
  Military supply chain management is a cross-functional approach to procuring, producing and delivering products and services. The broad management scope includes sub-suppliers, suppliers, internal information and funds flow.-Supply:...
  
  
• Staging area
  Staging area
  A staging area is a location where organisms, people, vehicles, equipment or material are assembled before use.- In construction :...
  
  

Land

• No man's land
  No man's land
  No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...
  
   is land that is not occupied or more specifically land that is under dispute between countries or areas that will not occupy it because of fear or uncertainty.

Arms and services

• Artillery
  Artillery
  Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
  
   includes any engine used for the discharge of large projectiles in war. In military terminology, a unit of artillery is
• An artillery battery
  Artillery battery
  In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
  
   is an organized group of artillery pieces (previously artillery park).
• Also see below Artillery

Doctrinal

These terms are used for talking about how armed forces are used.
Many of the terms below can be applied to combat in other environments although most often used in reference to land warfare.

• Ambush
  Ambush
  An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
  
    To make a surprise attack on an enemy that passes a concealed position.
• Barrage (artillery)
  Barrage (artillery)
  A barrage is a line or barrier of exploding artillery shells, created by the co-ordinated aiming of a large number of guns firing continuously. Its purpose is to deny or hamper enemy passage through the line of the barrage, to attack a linear position such as a line of trenches or to neutralize...
  
   is a line or barrier of exploding artillery shells, created by the co-ordinated targeting of a large number of guns firing continuously.
• Blockade
  Blockade
  A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
  
   – a ring of naval vessels surrounding a specific port or even an entire nation. The goal is to halt the importation of goods which could help the blockaded nation's war effort.
• Booby trap
  Booby trap
  A booby trap is a device designed to harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is...
  
  
• Breach (military) in fortified lines or a battle line.
• Breakout (military)
  Breakout (military)
  A breakout is a military operation to end a situation of encirclement or siege. It is used in contexts such as: "The British breakout attempt from Normandy"....
  
  : exploiting a breach in enemy lines so a large force (division or above) pass through
• Bridgehead
  Bridgehead
  A bridgehead is a High Middle Ages military term, which antedating the invention of cannons was in the original meaning expressly a referent term to the military fortification that protects the end of a bridge...
  
   and its varieties known as Beachhead
  Beachhead
  Beachhead is a military term used to describe the line created when a unit reaches a beach, and begins to defend that area of beach, while other reinforcements help out, until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Bridgehead and Lodgement...
  
   and Airhead
  Airhead
  An airhead is a designated area in a hostile or threatened territory which, when seized and held, allows the air landing of further troops and material via an airbridge, and provides the maneuver and preparation space necessary for projected operations. Normally it is the area seized in the assault...
  
  
• Charge (warfare)
  Charge (warfare)
  A charge is a maneuver in battle in which soldiers advance towards their enemy at their best speed in an attempt to engage in close combat. The charge is the dominant shock attack and has been the key tactic and decisive moment of most battles in history...
  
  : A large force heads directly to an enemy to engage in close quarters combat, with the hope of breaking the enemy line
• Column (formation)
  Column (formation)
  A military column is a formation of soldiers marching together in one or more files in which the file is significantly longer than the width of ranks in the formation...
  
  
• Counterattack
  Counterattack
  A counterattack is a tactic used in response against an attack. The term originates in military strategy. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy in attack and the specific objectives are usually to regain lost ground or to destroy attacking enemy units.It is...
  
  
• Counter battery fire
• Coup de grâce
  Coup de grâce
  The expression coup de grâce means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. The phrase can refer to the killing of civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the consent of the sufferer...
  
  a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded man; also applied to severely damaged ships (called scuttling
  Scuttling
  Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
  
   when applied to friendly ships)
• Coup de Main
  Coup de main
  A coup de main is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow. The United States Department of Defense defines it as:The literal translation from French means a stroke or blow of the hand...
  
  , a swift pre-emptive strike.
• Decisive victory
  Decisive victory
  A decisive victory is an indisputable military victory of a battle that determines or significantly influences the ultimate result of a conflict. It does not always coincide with the end of combat...
  
   – an overwhelming victory for one side that often shifts the course of a conflict.
• Echelon formation
  Echelon formation
  An echelon formation is a military formation in which members are arranged diagonally. Each member is stationed behind and to the right , or behind and to the left , of the member ahead...
  
   a military formation in which members are arranged diagonally
• Defilade
  Enfilade and defilade
  Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapons fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in defilade" if it uses natural or artificial obstacles to...
  
   A unit or position is "defiladed" if it is protected from direct exposure to enemy fire. See also Hull-down
  Hull-down
  The term hull-down describes the situation where the upper part of a vessel or vehicle is visible, but the main, lower body is not; the opposite term hull-up describes the situation where all of the body is visible....
  
  
• Encirclement
  Encirclement
  Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The German term for this is Kesselschlacht ; a comparable English term might be "in the bag"....
  
  
• Enfilade
  Enfilade and defilade
  Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapons fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in defilade" if it uses natural or artificial obstacles to...
  
   A unit (or position) is "in enfilade" if enemy fire can be directed along the long axis of the unit. For instance, a trench is enfiladed if the enemy can fire down the length of the trench. Also, to place a unit in a position to enfilade, or the position so enfiladed.
• Extraction point
  Extraction (military)
  Extraction , in tactical combat and special operations use, is the process of removing constituents from a targeted site when it is considered imperative that they be immediately relocated out of a hostile environment and taken to a secured area under friendly control...
  
   - A point where you are supposed to meet
• Envelope
• Fabian strategy
  Fabian strategy
  The Fabian strategy is a military strategy where pitched battles and frontal assaults are avoided in favor of wearing down an opponent through a war of attrition and indirection. While avoiding decisive battles, the side employing this strategy harasses its enemy through skirmishes to cause...
  
  , avoiding pitched battle
  Pitched battle
  A pitched battle is a battle where both sides choose to fight at a chosen location and time and where either side has the option to disengage either before the battle starts, or shortly after the first armed exchanges....
  
  s to wear down the enemy in a war of attrition
  Attrition warfare
  Attrition warfare is a military strategy in which a belligerent side attempts to win a war by wearing down its enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and matériel....
  
  
• File (formation)
  File (formation)
  A file is a military term for a number of troops drawn up in line ahead, i.e. one behind the other in a column. The number of files is the measure of the width of a formation of troops in several ranks one behind the other.- Ancient Greek use :...
  
   single column of soldiers
• Flank
  Flanking maneuver
  In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
  
  , to attack an enemy or an enemy unit from the side, or to maneuver
  Maneuver
  Maneuver, manoeuvre may be a synonym for strategy or tactic. It is the manipulation of a situation in order to gain some advantage.- Military or naval movement :* Military exercise...
  
   to do so.
• Frontal assault
  Frontal assault
  The military tactic of frontal assault is a direct, hostile movement of forces toward the front of an enemy force . By targeting the enemy's front, the attackers are subjecting themselves to the maximum defensive power of the enemy...
  
  
• Guerilla tactics attack the enemy, then retreat, hit-and-run
• Hors de combat
  Hors de combat
  Hors de Combat, literally meaning "outside the fight," is a French term used in diplomacy and international law to refer to soldiers who are incapable of performing their military function. Examples include a downed fighter pilot, as well as the sick, wounded, detained, or otherwise disabled...
  
  , out of the fight, surrendered, wounded, and so on.
• Killing field
  Killing field
  A killing field, in military science, is an area in front of a defensive position that the enemy must cross during an assault and is specifically intended to allow the defending troops to incapacitate a large number of the enemy. Defensive emplacements such as anti-tank obstacles, barbed wire and...
  
  
• Lodgement
  Lodgement
  A lodgement is an enclave taken by and defended by force of arms against determined opposition made by increasing the size of a bridgehead, beachhead or airheadOxford English Dictionary lodgement, lodgment "3. The action of establishing oneself or making good a position on an enemy's ground, or...
  
  , an enclave made by increasing the size of a bridgehead
• Infantry square
  Infantry square
  An infantry square is a combat formation an infantry unit forms in close order when threatened with cavalry attack.-Very early history:The formation was described by Plutarch and used by the Romans, and was developed from an earlier circular formation...
  
  , Pike square
  Pike square
  The pike square was a military tactic developed by the Swiss Confederacy during the 15th century for use by its infantry.- History :The pike square was used to devastating effect at the Battle of Nancy against Charles the Bold of Burgundy in 1477, when the Swiss defeated a smaller but more...
  
  , or Schiltron
  Schiltron
  A sheltron is a compact body of troops forming a battle array, shield wall or phalanx....
  
  
• Infiltration
  Infiltration tactics
  In warfare, infiltration tactics involve small, lightly equipped infantry forces attacking enemy rear areas while bypassing enemy front line strongpoints and isolating them for attack by follow-up troops with heavier weapons.-Development during World War I:...
  
  
• Interdiction
  Interdiction
  Interdiction is a military term that refers to the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction...
  
  , to attack and interrupt enemy supply lines.
• Melee
  Mêlée
  Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
  
   (also Mêlée)
• No quarter
  No quarter
  A victor gives no quarter when the victor shows no clemency or mercy and refuses to spare the life in return for the surrender at discretion of a vanquished opponent....
  
  , or "Take no prisoners", or "no mercy", or "kill them all": all enemy troops are to be killed, even those who surrender. It is now a war crime to give such an order.
• Overwatch
  Overwatch
  In modern warfare, overwatch is the state of one small unit or military vehicle supporting another unit, while they are executing fire and movement tactics. An overwatching, or supporting unit has taken a position where it can observe the terrain ahead, especially likely enemy positions. This...
  
   when one small unit can support another.
• Patrolling
  Patrolling
  Patrolling is a military tactic. Small groups or individual units are deployed from a larger formation to achieve a specific objective and then return. The tactic of patrolling may be applied to ground troops, armoured units, naval units, and combat aircraft...
  
  
• Parthian shot
  Parthian shot
  The Parthian shot was a military tactic made famous by the Parthians, ancient Iranian people. The Parthian archers, mounted on light horse, would feign retreat; then, while at a full gallop, turn their bodies back to shoot at the pursuing enemy. The maneuver required superb equestrian skills,...
  
  
• Pickets (or picquets), sentries or advance troops whose job is to warn of contact with the enemy. A soldier who has this job is on "picket duty".
• Pincer maneuver
• Pitched battle
  Pitched battle
  A pitched battle is a battle where both sides choose to fight at a chosen location and time and where either side has the option to disengage either before the battle starts, or shortly after the first armed exchanges....
  
  
• Phalanx
  Phalanx formation
  The phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar weapons...
  
  
• Pocket
  Salients, re-entrants and pockets
  A salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant...
  
  
• Pyrrhic victory
  Pyrrhic victory
  A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
  
   – Often a costly victory for one side that could eventually lead to defeat.
• Raiding
  Raid (military)
  Raid, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare mission which has a specific purpose and is not normally intended to capture and hold terrain, but instead finish with the raiding force quickly retreating to a previous defended position prior to the enemy forces being...
  
  
• Rank (formation)
  Rank (formation)
  A Rank is a line of military personnel, drawn up in line abreast .Commonly, troops called to 'On the right, fall in!' do so by forming in line abreast, determining their initial position in relation to a marker. This may be a position on the ground or a single person placed previously to the movement...
  
   single line of soldiers
• Reconnaissance
  Reconnaissance
  Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
  
  
• Retreat (military) – Withdrawal of troops from a battlefield to a better defensive position.
• Rout
  Rout
  A rout is commonly defined as a chaotic and disorderly retreat or withdrawal of troops from a battlefield, resulting in the victory of the opposing party, or following defeat, a collapse of discipline, or poor morale. A routed army often degenerates into a sense of "every man for himself" as the...
  
  
• Sack
  Looting
  Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
  
   The deliberate destruction and/or looting of a city usually after an assault.
• Salients
  Salients, re-entrants and pockets
  A salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant...
  
   The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant.
• Scorched earth
  Scorched earth
  A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
  
  
• Scuttling
  Scuttling
  Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
  
   The deliberate destruction of a ship to prevent its capture and use by an enemy. Commonly used as a coup de grâce
  Coup de grâce
  The expression coup de grâce means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. The phrase can refer to the killing of civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the consent of the sufferer...
  
  , but has also been a protest (as after the First World War
  High Seas Fleet
  The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
  
  ).
• Shield wall
  Shield wall
  The wall, is a military tactic that was common in many cultures in the Pre-Early Modern warfare age...
  
  , the massed use of shields to form a wall in battle
• Shield wall (fortification)
  Shield wall (fortification)
  A shield wall refers to the highest and strongest wall of a castle where it is clearly distinguished from the other curtain walls of a castle. The shield wall serves to protect the side from which the main attack is expected...
  
  , the highest and thickest wall of a castle protecting the main assault approach
• Shoot and scoot – type of fire and movement tactic used by artillery to avoid counter-battery fire. (This term is primarily used by American forces.)
• Siege
  Siege
  A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
  
  , is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault.
  • circumvallation, a line of fortifications, built by the attackers around the besieged fortification facing towards the enemy fort
  • contravallation, a second line of fortifications behind the circumvallation facing away from the enemy fort to protect the besiegers from attacks by allies of the besieged.
  • escalade
    Escalade
    Escalade is the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders, and was a prominent feature of siege warfare in medieval times...
    
    , the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders, and was a prominent feature of siege warfare in medieval times.
  • Forlorn hope
    Forlorn hope
    A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high....
    
    , most frequently used to refer to the first wave of soldiers attacking a breach in defences during a siege.
  • Chevaux de frise, sword blades chained together to cut up people trying to charge into a breach in the walls.
  • Investment
    Investment (military)
    Investment is the military tactic of surrounding an enemy fort with armed forces to prevent entry or escape.A circumvallation is a line of fortifications, built by the attackers around the besieged fortification facing towards the enemy fort...
    
    , surrounding an enemy fort (or town) with armed forces to prevent entry or escape.
  • parallel
    Parallel (geometry)
    Parallelism is a term in geometry and in everyday life that refers to a property in Euclidean space of two or more lines or planes, or a combination of these. The assumed existence and properties of parallel lines are the basis of Euclid's parallel postulate. Two lines in a plane that do not...
    
     trenches
  • Siege engines, specialised weapons used to overcome fortifications of a besieged fort or town; in modern times, the task has fallen to large artillery pieces.
  • Siege train, specialised siege artillery accompanying an army for use in a siege.
  • Siege tower
    Siege tower
    A siege tower is a specialized siege engine, constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortification. The tower was often rectangular with four wheels with its height roughly equal to that of the wall or sometimes higher to allow archers to stand on...
    
    , a wooden tower on wheels constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortification.
• Storm to move quickly and noisily like a storm
• Sortie
  Sortie
  Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
  
  , also "to sally". A sudden attack against a besieging enemy from within a besieged fort or town.
• Surrender at discretion means unconditional surrender
  Unconditional surrender
  Unconditional surrender is a surrender without conditions, in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party. In modern times unconditional surrenders most often include guarantees provided by international law. Announcing that only unconditional surrender is acceptable puts psychological...
  
   instead of surrendering with terms.
• Skirmish
• Withdrawal (military)
  Withdrawal (military)
  A withdrawal is a type of military operation, generally meaning retreating forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, or to lead the enemy into an ambush...
  
  , generally meaning pulling forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy.

Ordnance

These terms are used in identification of means of combat to inflict damage on the opponent.

Edged

Weapons that are used to inflict damage through cutting or stabbing.

• Bayonet
  Bayonet
  A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
  
  
• Bill (weapon)
  Bill (weapon)
  The bill is a polearm weapon used by infantry in medieval Europe.The bill is similar in size, function and appearance to the halberd, differing mainly in the hooked blade form...
  
  
• Danish axe
  Danish axe
  The Dane Axe is an early type of battle axe, primarily used during the transition between the European Viking Age and early Middle Ages. Other names for the weapon include English Long Axe, Danish Axe, and Hafted Axe.-Construction:...
  
  
• halberd
  Halberd
  A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on...
  
  
• Knife
  Knife
  A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
  
  
• Pole weapon
  Pole weapon
  A pole weapon or polearm is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is placed on the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range. Spears, glaives, poleaxes, halberds, and bardiches are all varieties of polearms...
  
   or * Poleaxe
• pike (weapon)
  Pike (weapon)
  A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear used extensively by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the...
  
  
• Partisan (weapon)
  Partisan (weapon)
  A partisan is a type of polearm that was used in Europe during the middle ages. It consisted of a spearhead mounted on a long shaft with protrusions on the sides which aided the user in parrying sword thrusts...
  
  
• Spear
  Spear
  A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
  
  
• Sword
  Sword
  A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
  
  
• Hands

Individual

• Bow (weapon)
  Bow (weapon)
  The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
  
  
• Sling (weapon)
  Sling (weapon)
  A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone or lead "sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling....
  
   and Slingshot
  Slingshot
  A slingshot, shanghai, flip, bean shooter or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame held in the off hand, with two rubber strips attached to the uprights. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket which holds the projectile...
  
   (hand catapult)

Firearms

• machine gun
  Machine gun
  A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
  
  
• musket
  Musket
  A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
  
  
• pistol
  Pistol
  When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
  
  
• revolver
  Revolver
  A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
  
  
• rifle
  Rifle
  A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
  
  
• submachine gun
  Submachine gun
  A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
  
  

Artillery

Crew-served, non-vehicle mounted weapons.

• Ballista
  Ballista
  The ballista , plural ballistae, was an ancient missile weapon which launched a large projectile at a distant target....
  
  
• Catapult
  Catapult
  A catapult is a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. Although the catapult has been used since ancient times, it has proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during...
  
  
• Mangonel
  Mangonel
  A mangonel was a type of catapult or siege engine used in the medieval period to throw projectiles at a castle's walls. The exact meaning of the term is debatable, and several possibilities have been suggested. Mangonel may also be indirectly referring to the 'mangon' a French hard stone found in...
  
  
• Onager (siege weapon)
  Onager (siege weapon)
  The onager was a Roman siege engine, which derived its name from the kicking action of the machine, similar to that of an onager , it was created as a simpler, cheaper version of the ballista. The Onager is a type of catapult that uses torsional pressure, generally from twisted rope, to store...
  
  
• Trebuchet
  Trebuchet
  A trebuchet is a siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages. It is sometimes called a "counterweight trebuchet" or "counterpoise trebuchet" in order to distinguish it from an earlier weapon that has come to be called the "traction trebuchet", the original version with pulling men instead of...
  
  

Guns

• gun
  Gun
  A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
  
  
• cannon
  Cannon
  A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
  
  
• mortar
  Mortar (weapon)
  A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
  
  
• howitzer
  Howitzer
  A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
  
  

Explosives

Explosives comprise ordnance that causes damage through release of force.

• Bangalore torpedo
  Bangalore torpedo
  A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed on the end of a long, extendible tube. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire...
  
  
• Camouflet
  Camouflet
  A camouflet, in military science, is an artificial cavern created by an explosion. If the explosion reaches the surface then it is called a crater....
  
  

• Grenade
  Grenade
  A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
  
  
  • Hand grenade
    Hand grenade
    A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
    
    
  • Rifle grenade
    Rifle grenade
    A rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle-based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade was thrown by hand...
    
     (see also Grenade launcher
    Grenade launcher
    A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
    
    )
  • Rocket propelled grenade
    Rocket propelled grenade
    A rocket-propelled grenade is a shoulder-fired, anti-tank weapon system which fires rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor and stabilized in flight with fins. Some types of RPG are reloadable while others are single-use. RPGs, with the exception of...
    
    

• Land mine
  Land mine
  A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
  
  
  • Anti-tank mine
    Anti-tank mine
    An anti-tank mine, , is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles....
    
    
  • Anti-personnel mine
    Anti-personnel mine
    Anti-personnel mines are a form of land mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles...
    
    

• Shell (weapon)

Incendiary

Incendiary ordnance causes damage through release of heat.

• flamethrowers
• Greek fire
  Greek fire
  Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect as it could continue burning while floating on water....
  
  
• napalm
  Napalm
  Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
  
  
• white phosphorus largely anti-personnel weaponry

Vehicles

• Armoured car
• Chariot
  Chariot
  The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
  
  
• Half-track
  Half-track
  A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling...
  
  
• Tank
  Tank
  A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
  
  

Engineering

See also List of fortifications

• Fortification
  Fortification
  Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
  
  
• Barbed wire
  Barbed wire
  Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
  
  
• Banquette
  Banquette
  In fortification, a banquette is a small foot path or elevated step along the inside of a rampart or parapet, by which the musketeers get up to view the counterscarp, or to fire on the enemies in the moat...
  
   or a fire step
• Bastion
  Bastion
  A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
  
  
• Bastion fortress (see below star fort and Trace italienne)
• Berm
  Berm
  A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier separating two areas. Berm originates in the Middle Dutch and German berme and came into usage in English via French.- History :...
  
  
• Blockhouse
  Blockhouse
  In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
  
  
• Breastwork (fortification)
  Breastwork (fortification)
  A breastwork is a fortification. The term is usually applied to temporary fortifications, often an earthwork thrown up to breast height to provide protection to defenders firing over it from a standing position...
  
  
• Bulwark
  Bulwark
  Bulwark may refer to:*A bastion or fortifications in general*In naval terminology, an extension of a ship's sides above deck level*HMS Bulwark, any of several Royal Navy ships*USS Bulwark, any of several US Navy ships...
  
  
• Bunker
  Bunker
  A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
  
  : A heavily fortified underground or partially underground facility. Used for defensive positions, they are also commonly used as command centers for high-level officers.
• Counterscarp
  Counterscarp
  A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides of a ditch used in fortifications. In permanent fortifications the scarp and counterscarp may be encased in stone...
  
  , is the side of a ditch, in front of the wall of a fortress, furthest from the wall.
• Coupure
  Coupure
  A coupure is a means of closing an opening in a wall, floodwall or levee . The word comes from the french verb couper which means to cut....
  
  
• Castle
  Castle
  A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
  
  
  • Medieval fortification
    Medieval fortification
    Medieval fortification is military methods of Medieval technology that covers the development of fortification construction and use in Europe roughly from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Renaissance...
    
    
    • Arrow slit (arrow loop, loophole)
    • Barbican
      Barbican
      A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
      
      
    • Concentric castle
      Concentric castle
      A concentric castle is a castle with two or more concentric curtain walls, such that the outer wall is lower than the inner and can be defended from it. The word concentric does not imply that these castles were circular; in fact if taken too literally the term "concentric" is quite misleading...
      
      
    • Drawbridge
      Drawbridge
      A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
      
      
    • Portcullis
      Portcullis
      A portcullis is a latticed grille made of wood, metal, fibreglass or a combination of the three. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege...
      
      
    • Moat
      Moat
      A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
      
      
    • Machicolation
      Machicolation
      A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement...
      
      
    • Murder-hole
      Murder-hole
      A murder hole or meurtrière is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders could fire, throw or pour harmful substances, such as rocks, arrows, scalding water, hot sand, quicklime, tar, or boiling oil, down on attackers. They also allowed water to...
      
      
• Citadel
  Citadel
  A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
  
  
• Dragon's teeth
  Dragon's teeth (fortification)
  Dragon's teeth are square-pyramidal fortifications of reinforced concrete first used during the Second World War to impede the movement of tanks and mechanised infantry...
  
  : Triangular obstacles that block the movement of tanks.
• Earthworks
  Earthworks (engineering)
  Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
  
  
• Fort
• Fortress
• Defensive fighting position
  Defensive fighting position
  A defensive fighting position is a type of earthwork constructed in a military context, generally large enough to accommodate at least one person.- Terminology :...
  
   a Rifle pit or Fox hole
• Glacis
  Glacis
  A glacis in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment...
  
  
• Hill fort
  Hill fort
  A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
  
   (New Zealand Pa (Māori)
  Pa (Maori)
  The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
  
  )
• Lunette (fortification)
  Lunette (fortification)
  In fortification a lunette was originally an outwork of half-moon shape; later it became a redan with short flanks, in trace somewhat resembling a bastion standing by itself without curtains on either side...
  
  , an outwork consisting of a salient angle with two flanks and an open gorge.
• Mine is a siege method used since antiquity against a walled city, fortress or castle where tunnels are dug to undermine the foundations of the walls. A counter mine is a tunnel dug by the defenders below an attackers mine with the intention of undermining the attackers mine before it undermines the walls.
• Outwork
  Outwork
  An outwork is a minor defense, fortification, built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks were developed in the 16th century, such as ravelins, lunettes , caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains from direct battery...
  
  , a minor defence, built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached.
• Ravelin
  Ravelin
  A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress...
  
  , a triangular fortification, detached outwork in front of the bastions.
• Redan
  Redan
  Redan is a term related to fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient angle toward an expected attack...
  
   is a V-shaped salient angle toward an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material.
• Redoubt
  Redoubt
  A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...
  
   is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick.
• Reduit
  Reduit
  A reduit is a fortified structure such as a citadel or a keep into which the defending troops can retreat when the outer defences are breached...
  
   is the strongest fortification which should provide protection during a persistent attack. A citadel, for example, is the reduit in classical fortifications.
• Sangar (fortification), a small temporary fortified position with a breastwork originally of stone, but now built of sandbags and similar materials.
• Sally port
  Sally port
  The primary modern meaning for sally port is a secure, controlled entryway, as at a fortification or a prison. The entrance is usually protected in some way, such as with a fixed wall blocking the door which must be circumvented before entering, but which prevents direct enemy fire from a distance...
  
   also "to sally" out and Sortie
  Sortie
  Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
  
  
• Sapping
  Sapping
  Mining, landmining or undermining is a siege method which has been used since antiquity against a walled city, fortress, castle or other strongly held and fortified military position.-Antiquity:...
  
  
• Scarp (fortification) fortress side of a ditch in front of a wall.
• Sconce (fortification)
  Sconce (fortification)
  A Sconce is a small protective fortification, such as an earthwork often placed on a mound as a defensive work for artillery. It was used primarily in Northern Europe from the late Middle Ages until the 19th century. This type of fortification was common during the English Civil War, and the...
  
  , a small protective fortification, such as an earthwork often placed on a mound as a defensive work for artillery.
• Slighting
  Slighting
  A slighting is the deliberate destruction, partial or complete, of a fortification without opposition. During the English Civil War this was to render it unusable as a fort.-Middle Ages:...
  
   is the deliberate destruction of a fortification without opposition from its builders or its last users.
• Star fort
  Star fort
  A star fort, or trace italienne, is a fortification in the style that evolved during the age of gunpowder, when cannon came to dominate the battlefield, and was first seen in the mid-15th century in Italy....
  
   (see above Bastion fortressand below Trace italienne)
• Tenaille
  Tenaille
  Tenaille is an advanced defensive-work, in front of the main defences of a fortress which takes its name from resemblance, real or imaginary, to the lip of a pair of pincers...
  
   (archaic Tenalia), an advanced defensive-work, in front of the main defences of a fortress which takes its name from resemblance, real or imaginary, to the lip of a pair of pincers.
• tête-de-pont a temporary defensive work to defend a bridge, at the end of a bridge adjacent to an enemy.
• Trace italienne. Star-shaped fortresses surrounding towns and even cities (see above Star fort and Bastion fortress)
• Trench
  Trench warfare
  Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
  
  

Geographic

• Defile (geography)
  Defile (geography)
  Defile is a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills. It has its origins as a military description of a pass through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front...
  
   is a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains. It has its origins as a military description of a pass through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front.
• debouch
  Debouch
  Debouch is a term used in river and stream geography, and the military.-Geography:In fluvial geography, a debouch is a place where a body of water pours forth from a narrow opening...
  
  , to emerge from a defile (or something similar) into open country (debouch can also be used to describe water that flows out of a defile into a wider place such as a lake) and so a fortification at the end of a defile is sometimes known as a debouch.

Arms and services

These terms are used for combat arms and supporting services of armed forces used in naval warfare.

Doctrinal

Describes terms used for talking about how naval armed forces are used.

• Blockade
  Blockade
  A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
  
  
• Coup de grâce
  Coup de grâce
  The expression coup de grâce means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. The phrase can refer to the killing of civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the consent of the sufferer...
  
  a final shot intended to finish off a sinking ship (which should be distinguished from scuttling
  Scuttling
  Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
  
  ).
• Crossing the Tee
• In the van—leading
• Line astern, Line ahead, or Line of battle
  Line of battle
  In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line end to end. A primitive form had been used by the Portuguese under Vasco Da Gama in 1502 near Malabar against a Muslim fleet.,Maarten Tromp used it in the Action of 18 September 1639 while its first use in...
  
  
• Raking fire
  Raking fire
  In naval warfare, raking fire is fire directed parallel to the long axis of an enemy ship. Although each shot is directed against a smaller target profile than by shooting broadside and thus more likely to miss the target ship to one side or the other, an individual cannon shot that hits will pass...
  
  
• Scuttling
  Scuttling
  Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
  
  
• Weather gage
  Weather gage
  The weather gage is a nautical term used to describe the advantageous position of a fighting sailing vessel, relative to another. The term is from the Age of Sail, and is now antiquated. A ship is said to possess the weather gage if it is in any position, at sea, upwind of the other vessel...
  
  

Vessels

• Aircraft carrier
  Aircraft carrier
  An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
  
  
• Battleship
  Battleship
  A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
  
  
• Battlecruiser
  Battlecruiser
  Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
  
  
• Cruiser
  Cruiser
  A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
  
  
• Frigate
  Frigate
  A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
  
  
• Destroyer
  Destroyer
  In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
  
  
• Submarine
  Submarine
  A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
  
  
• Torpedo boat
  Torpedo boat
  A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
  
  
• Hovercraft
  Hovercraft
  A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
  
  

Arms and services

These terms are used for combat arms and supporting services of armed forces used in air warfare.

Operational

• Sortie
  Sortie
  Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
  
   used by air force
  Air force
  An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
  
  s to indicate an aircraft mission count (flew seven sorties) or in the sense of a departure (the aircraft sortied).

Tactics

• Area bombing, carpet bombing
  Carpet bombing
  Carpet bombing is a large aerial bombing done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land. The phrase invokes the image of explosions completely covering an area, in the same way that a carpet covers a floor. Carpet bombing is usually achieved by dropping many...
  
   and pattern bombing.
• Sortie
  Sortie
  Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
  
   a mission flown by one aircraft

Aircraft

• Airship
  Airship
  An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
  
  
• Bomber
  Bomber
  A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
  
  
• Dirigible balloon
  Balloon
  A balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
  
  
• Fighter
  Fighter aircraft
  A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
  
  
• Fighter bomber
• Spotter plane

See also

• List of military tactics
• Glossary of military abbreviations
  Glossary of military abbreviations
  List of terms, acronyms, information, related to modern armour, artillery, infantry, weapons, and related military subject matter.- A :* AA anti-aircraft* AAA anti-aircraft artillery "Triple A"* AAAV Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle...
  
  
• Glossary of German military terms
• List of equipment used in World War II
• List of World War II electronic warfare equipment

External links

• A Dictionary of Military Architecture: Fortification and Fieldworks from the Iron Age to the Eighteenth Century by Stephen Francis Wyley, drawings by Steven Lowe
• A Glossary of Victorian Military Terms by the Palmerston Forts Society. A more comprehensive version has been published by the PFS: A Handbook of Military Terms by David Moore
• Military Earthworks Terms by the National Park Service
  National Park Service
  The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
  
  , United States Department of the Interior
  United States Department of the Interior
  The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
  
  
• Military Terms Dictionary Lookup on military terms offering you clear definitions by some of the most reliable reference works in this field.